THERE were a number of upsets on day three of the ATP Miami Open with seven seeded players bowing out in their first match of the ATP Tour’s Miami Open fantasy tennis tournament. None however, were bigger than the departure of Indian Wells champion and world number three, Dominic Thiem as well as fifth seed Greek star, Stefanos Tsitsipas. Both were bundled out in the Round of 64 with Frenchman Gilles Simon and Canadian wildcard Vasek Pospisil both advancing. Simon stunned Thiem in a straight sets win with the Austrian having no answers for the experienced Frenchman, as the unseeded talent got up 7-6 6-3. Pospisil had a much tougher task during the match against Tsitsipas, looking good early to win the first set, dropping the second and then cruising to a win with a comfortable third set.

While still upsets but not on the scale of those two departures, Fabio Fognini, Cristian Garin, Benoit Paire, Dusan Lajovic and Nikoloz Basilashvili all bowed out on day three as well. In making his return to the ATP Tour after injury, unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took a big scalp in defeating Fognini, 6-3 6-2 in an hour and 20 minutes. Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas bundled out Garin in three sets, 7-6 3-6 6-3, while Kyle Edmund also had a tough challenge against 21st seed Paire before shaking him off to win 7-6 2-6 6-3. The two easier matches saw Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka defeat Lajovic 7-5 6-1, while Alexander Bublik knocked out 29th seed, Basilashvili 4-6 6-3 6-4.

The remaining winners were all seeds with notable top 10 players, Rafael Nadal and Gael Monfils getting through unscathed against Egor Gerasimov and Jeremy Chardy respectively. Argentinian 12th seed Diego Schwartzman had to fight back from a set down against Frenchman Lucas Pouille to win 4-6 6-3 6-1, a similar story for Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz who managed to overcome Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 2-6 6-4 7-5. Alex de Minaur and Filip Krajinovic both won in three sets after dropping their respective second sets, while Roberto Bautista Agut, Denis Shapovalov and Daniel Evans all moved through to the Round of 64 with straight sets wins.

The Round of 64 continues tomorrow with a couple of exciting clashes headlined by John Millman taking on 26th seed, Pablo Carreno Busta, as well as 18th seed, Felix Auger-Aliassime meeting Reilly Opelka.

ROUND OF 64 RESULTS:

[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) defeated [Q] Egor Gerasimov (BLR) 6-2 6-2
Gilles Simon (FRA) defeated [3] Dominic Thiem (AUT) 7-6 6-3
[WC] Vasek Pospisil (CAN) defeated [5] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 6-2 3-6 6-1
[7] Gael Monfils (FRA) defeated Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6-3 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) defeated [10] Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-3 6-2
[11] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) defeated Ugo Humbert (FRA) 6-3 6-3
[12] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) defeated Lucas Pouille (FRA) 4-6 6-3 6-1
[15] Denis Shapovalov (CAN) defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) 6-2 6-4
Pablo Cuevas (URU) defeated [17] Cristian Garin (CHI) 7-6 3-6 6-3
Kyle Edmund (GBR) defeated [21] Benoit Paire (FRA) 7-6 2-6 6-3
Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) defeated [23] Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 7-5 6-1
[24] Hubert Hurkacz (POL) defeated Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 2-6 6-4 7-5
[27] Alex de Minaur (AUS) defeated Mikael Ymer (SWE) 6-3 3-6 6-4
[28] Filip Krajinovic (SRB) defeated [Q] Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-1 6-7 6-3
Alexander Bublik (KAZ) defeated [29] Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 4-6 6-3 6-4
[31] Daniel Evans (GBR) defeated Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6-3 6-3